Carel Fabritius
Carel Fabritius was a Dutch Baroque artist who lived from 1622 to 1654. He was part of the Dutch Golden Age of Art. For many years, he was known simply as a student of Rembrandt. Recently, he has been given more attention and credit for his artistic style and technique and is now recognized as an influential artist of the Delft school.
Fabritius was born to an artistically inclined family in Middenbeemster, just north of Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. His father was a sexton and teacher and was an artist part time. His father likely gave him his earliest instruction. It was originally believed that Carel’s first career was as a carpenter, a trade he worked with his brother, Barent. And that their last name, Fabritius, from the Latin word for carpenter, faber, was proof of that. However, his father may have used the same last name, so that information is unclear. However, it is clear that both men decided early on to instead work as artists.
Fabritius had a tragically difficult and short life. In 1641, he married Aeltge, a woman from his hometown. Together, they moved to Amsterdam so he could continue his artistic career. In Amsterdam, Fabritius trained and worked in Rembrandt’s studio. He is the most famous of Rembrandt’s pupils and set himself apart from the rest by the use of lighter backgrounds and scenes with more natural light. In 1643, his wife died in childbirth. She may have given birth to twins. Only one child survived, a daughter. Together, they moved back to Middenbeemster to be near his family. His daughter died shortly after his wife.
In 1650, Fabritius married again, this time to the widow, Agatha van Pruyssen. They officially moved their residence to Delft shortly after. In 1652, Fabritius joined the Delft painters’ guild, allowing him the ability to sell and work in the city.
On October 12, 1654, there was an explosion at a gunpowder storage facility in Delft. This explosion was so large that it took out approximately one quarter of the entire city. Fabritius died in the explosion while at work in his studio. He was working on a commissioned portrait of Simon Decker, a church deacon, and was working with his assistant, Mattias Spoors. All three men died, and the studio was destroyed along with most of Fabritius’s paintings. Only a dozen or so of his paintings are known to have survived to this day. He was just 32 years old.
I only recently learned of this artist by reading Laura Cumming’s book, Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death. I highly recommend it.
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